


Lisbet Dies at the End

by livebynight



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Suicidal Plans, Suicidal Thoughts, angst angst angst, death by strangulation, im so sorry guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 01:11:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13283769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livebynight/pseuds/livebynight
Summary: A KYS AU where Ivar has to take care of a rat.No, this is not KYS Canon.





	Lisbet Dies at the End

It took some time to realize she’d spilled intel for the sole purpose of seeing Ivar again.

At first, she blamed it on panic. Being questioned by police and lawyers, even reporters. Everyone flocked to her like pigs on shit once they realized she no longer belonged to a Lothbrok.

And sure, there’d been a bitter enough part of her that let spite vomit out certain confessions. Straighten out the false alibies claimed by the Family. 

But even then, Lisbet knew that they would wiggle their way out of it. They always did somehow. No matter what the crime. Fraud, embezzlement, murder. They had enough connections, eighty-five percent of police force in their pocket, and probably half of Father’s firm under their thumbs to finagle freedom. 

It took Lisbet about three weeks to surface from the depths of the dingy apartment she rented out in the warehouse district. The area reminded her of him. She hardly ate. Picked at leftovers until they grew moldy, then simply stopped eating.

With Father still missing, Mother finally tracked her down after hiring three PI’s. Because of course, it couldn’t be just one. Who would take a lone chance at them reporting their findings to Ivar instead? 

Though no one considered the possibility that even if they followed chain of custody, that wouldn’t mean they’d keep her location from the youngest Lothbrok after the job was done. 

Once she was found, her Mother escorted her from the dodgy building and drove her to a hospital for a feeding tube. She’d never seen Lisbet so thin. Even when she and her husband thought she might’ve had an eating disorder during her teenage years. Forty-eight hours of forcible meals, and the next thing she knew, she was sat in a white room while officer after officer poured in, asking all types of questions regarding the Lothbrok’s business. Some so random and inconsequential that she couldn’t even tell what crimes they were trying to prove. Just knew as soon as she was cleared for work, she’d swipe enough medication to end it all.

Because what was really the purpose of this now, anyway? The risks she’d endured for five years were only worth it because she had Ivar. Who gave a fuck how dramatic or demented it sounded, that she didn’t see life worth living without him? What – so she could deal with the consequences? Paranoia of knowing he was always watching, even still when he’d taken up residence in Sweden. 

Then never being trusted by anyone again. What little friends she had left – her family would never recover. Especially if they never found her father. His ongoing absence weighed on her conscience most of all, and who knew if she’d ever reach atonement for that…

She lost everything, and everything didn’t – couldn’t even fucking amount to what loss she suffered from Ivar alone. 

They deemed her fit for work after she was assigned a probation officer. Took her piss, made sure she ate. Two days on, two days off, and fuck all else besides daily check-ins between her shitty apartment and work.

 

The morphine was easy to obtain, and she calculated just how much she’d need. She even felt relief at the end of the work day. Rode to that same shitty apartment in the warehouse district – but basked in the feel of the humid wind on her skin, making her hair frizz. The simple feeling of knowing she wouldn’t have to cope with any of this anymore brought a smile to her face. 

 

The smile faded when she found her door unlocked – slightly ajar even. But at the smell of cigarettes, the expression came back. And that was when she realized. Realized the true reason she became a rat… It guaranteed she’d set eyes on Ivar Lothbrok one last time.

Of course he’d never let anyone else do the job. He was too controlling, too obsessive. And no matter how fucked up things had gotten between them, Lisbet was certain he’d never let anyone else handle the job. In life, he owned her. Why should it be different just because it meant her death?

The morphine wouldn’t be half as satisfying.

She found Ivar at her kitchen table, illuminated by the light that just wouldn’t cooperate with the fuse. It wasn’t the only one either – most electricity was shoddy in this building. It wasn’t exactly meant for upscale living. 

None of it had bothered Lisbet. She didn’t turn the lights on most days, anyway. 

The ecstatic thrill that shook her wasn’t at all deterred by the haggard look of him. Deep shadowy bags befell his once beautiful eyes, orbs that now looked dead inside. Not remotely filled with the light he once cast upon her. 

He was pale. Paler than usual. The type of ashen that made her recall the fateful day he waltzed into her life after the death of his father. And it was clear she wasn’t the only one who’d lost weight. Ivar was always trim and healthy, but his blouse wasn’t snug like the way he used to wear them. It was loose, hanging over his chest, baggy around his forearms.

She wasn’t sure what she expected from him – seeing him again. But the sorrow radiated from him with such heaviness that she was even more convinced that he was there to kill her. 

Ivar flicked the ash from his cigarette into the tin tray she had at the center of the table. Already filled with her butts. 

“You talked.”

She was dizzied by the sound of his voice – something she never dreamed she’d be able to hear again. Still so low and smooth. Only two words so far and somehow, they reverberated through her. Made her feel more alive than she had in ages. 

“I know.”

Ivar stared at her for some time. For long enough that she eventually set down her belongings, including the take away box that might as well have been tossed in the trash. It served no purpose now. 

After pulling out her cigarettes, she joined him at the table, resisting every urge she had to touch him. Feel him once more. The soft heat of his skin. His thick hair. Hell, even the sharp jaw. 

Instead, she lit up a cigarette and watched him.

“I hope I didn’t cause much trouble.”

He looked incredulous, seeming like he might almost laugh if the circumstances weren’t so grave. 

“Is that not what you had hoped for, Lisbet?” God, the way he said her name. She had to close her eyes and revel in it. “To spite me?”

“If you understood what I’ve been going through -”

“Save it,” he hissed, raising a dismissive palm in her direction. “You are not the only one who -” He stopped himself before he went too far, then visibly pulled himself together. Straightened in his seat to level with her. “I vouched for you.”

“Yes.”

“I vouched for you and you talked.”

“I know, Ivar -”

“Stop – speaking.”

He sniffed and rubbed his eyes after stabbing his cigarette out. She knew he’d never admit how much he was struggling just to be here. So close to her when he’d literally left the country to put space between them. 

“I…” she started quietly. “I understand why you’re here. What you have to do.”

There were tears in his eyes the next time he looked up. “Why couldn’t you just keep quiet?” 

Smoking wasn’t distracting enough. She dropped her cigarette in the tin and rushed forward to clutch Ivar’s face in her hands. He grabbed her forearms, but when he didn’t force her to move, she pressed her forehead against his.

“I just wanted to see you. See you again before -”

There was question in his eyes, unsure of what she meant. Concerned all the same. Lisbet wouldn’t dare finish the thought – share that she very much intended to take her own life – merely pressed her lips to his. 

A violent tremor shook him and he tensed, shaking his head, though not yet tearing away from her. Lisbet had nothing left to lose, if she could steal a kiss from him, she would, and there’d be no regrets about it. 

“Stop,” he murmured against her, still not pulling back. “Lis’, stop.” He finally shoved at her, hands vices around her wrists when she opened her mouth around his upper lip. “Don’t do that!”

“We could run away?” she offered, not really expecting that to happen. The idea just sounded romantic. 

Ivar sneered at her. “Perhaps if you had asked before opening your fucking mouth. They will -” he pressed his lips together in a thin line. “They will kill me for allowing what you have done. And they will do worse to you!”

She knew he was right. All hope was lost.

“Why could you not have just kept your mouth shut! Why did you have to speak!” he suddenly screamed in her face. “I could have – I think I could have made it without -” His whole face trembled as he struggled not to open up, not to cry. “We could have conquered the whole world. You were supposed to be with me!” 

“And what of my father?!” Lisbet snapped, finding fight somewhere deep inside. She tugged weakly at his hold, accomplishing nothing more than a measly flail. “You are still willing to lie about that?”

“I told you I had nothing to do with -”

“Tell me the truth!”

Tears finally fell from his eyes, eyes wide as he pleaded with her. “I am telling the truth!”

“You’re a murderer!” 

Ivar moved faster than she expected, always so fast. Her wrists had hardly been freed when Ivar unleashed a scream and slammed his hands against her throat. Instantly clamped down, cutting off her windpipe. 

“I have given you everything!” he roared, squeezing all the tighter. It was only by reflex that Lisbet struggled; tried pushing away as adrenaline sent fear coursing through her veins. Otherwise she would’ve reveled in the way her heart beat faster and harder than it had in a long time. How even the sight of Ivar – having never looked more terrifying, was more alluring than he’d ever been. 

In the fight, they toppled from their chairs onto the cold, dirty floor. Ivar’s grip around her throat never weakened. If anything, grew stronger as he was able to climb on top of her and force his weight on her. 

“I gave you my life – all that I am,” he hissed. Eyes reddened and crazed, tears seeping down his face, though he didn’t blink once. In all his aggravation, he shook her head in his grasp – her esophagus spasmed under the crushing force, and Lisbet knew the blood would be cut off from her brain in a matter of seconds. 

She took the time to make her body calm. To go limp under him. Spend the last moment memorizing what Ivar looked like – the love of her life – even if he killed her. This was worth it to her. Seeing him again, feeling him again. She brought her hands to his sides and hugged him as he screamed and sobbed above her. Any words made incoherent as her pulse pounded in her ears, vessels popped, and vision tunneled. 

“I hate you!” he sobbed. But then he kissed her puffed lips, rubbing off saliva, tears and snot. “I love you. I love you, I love you.” 

It was the last set of words Lisbet heard. And contentment was the last thing she felt. 

Ivar lay on top of her for some time after. Kissing her, reaffirming his love for her. He couldn’t stop crying; hyperventilated until he almost fell sick on the floor. 

The only thing that made him move was knowing that Cris was outside waiting for him and would come upstairs if he thought something was wrong. He couldn’t be seen like this – didn’t want her seen like this, either. 

Lucky for him, the apartment was small. He managed to carry her across the floor and get her on the small bed. He fixed her hair and her clothes, told her she was beautiful. The most beautiful human he’d ever known.

He wanted to lay with her. 

He didn’t have the time. 

And once he pulled himself together as best he could, he found the determination to leave. There were loose ends to tie. Affairs to settle. Trusts to pass to the right people. 

Then he could join her.


End file.
